Agreement to market the East African Region as a single tourist destination

Destination East Africa to go single tourist Visa

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The East African Countries of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have agreed among themselves to market the East African Region as a Single Tourist Destination.

This has been agreed in order to achieve the objectives of the Community to maximise the benefits of tourism and wildlife in the East African Region as set in the Treaty for the establishment of the East African Community.

The Five Countries have already started the negotiation process on common Market protocol, upon conclusion of which the road map to adopt free movement of people, goods, services will be agreed upon. This will give the East African region clear way to a Common Tourist Visa.

To date, the Partner States have agreed to undertake and develop a collective and co-ordinated approach to the promotion and marketing of quality tourism into and within the Community. Currently the Partner States have started to co-ordinate their policies in the tourism industry and undertake to establish a framework of co-operation in the sector that will ensure equitable distribution of benefits.

The Partner States have started to establish a common code of conduct for private and public tour and travel operators, standardise hotel classifications and harmonize the professional standards of agents in the tourism and travel industry within the community. The Criteria to classify tourist facilities in the region have been set and agreed upon. Implementation processes are under way.

The Partner States have jointly undertaken a vigorous approach to implement a regional strategy for tourism promotion whereby individual efforts are reinforced by regional action.

Furthermore, the Partner States are planning to develop a collective and co-ordinated policy for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wildlife and other tourist sites in the Community. In particular, the Partner States will:
- Harmonize their policies for the conservation of wildlife, within and outside protected areas;
- Exchange information and adopt common policies on wildlife management and development;
- Co-ordinate efforts in controlling and monitoring encroachment and poaching activities;
- Encourage the joint use of training and research facilities and develop common management plans for trans-border protected areas;
- Take measures to ratify or accede to, and implement relevant international Conventions.

The Agency to co-ordinate tourism promotional activities and mobilization of the regional required resources will soon be operational. The East African Tourism and Wildlife Co-ordination Agency will be vested with power to mobilize resources and co-ordinate tourism bodies of the Partner States as well as harmonize required policies to brand the region as a powerful Tourist Destination. In this regard East African Countries will continue to compete and co-operate with each other and therefore bring out quality and efficiency in tourism services.

The East African Community (EAC) will continue to pride itself on being a rich and varied tourist attraction unmatched in many parts of the world. The EAC region?s tourist products range from some of the world?s finest beaches to unique wildlife sanctuaries.

The Scenic attractions of East Africa Include:
- In Burundi: The second deepest Lake in the world, Lake Tanganyika, and wonderful landscapes making the country a real paradise from the top of the mountains which constitute the peak Congo Nile.
- In Kenya: The magnificent Maasai Mara reserve, among 48 Wildlife National Parks and reserves, including the amazing Amboseli and Tsavo National Parks.
- In Rwanda: The land of 1000 hills sits at the hub of Africa and the centre of the Albertine rift, mountain forest and house of the six Virunga volcanoes and the world's famous mountain gorillas.
- In Tanzania: The world's famous Ngorongoro Crater, the breathtakingly spectacular Serengeti plains, wildlife conservation areas; Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain.
- In Uganda: The unique Bwindi National Park, home to some 300 mountain gorillas; the Murchison Falls and Elizabeth Park; Nalubaale Falls at Jinja, the source of River